A review by ellythehuman
Kaguya-Sama: Love Is War, Vol. 14 by Aka Akasaka

4.0

Be aware! This review will have spoilers for previous volumes. You have been warned…

With this volume, the culture festival arc officially makes it end. All I have to say is that the end of this arc was an absolute banger. I could not put this volume down as I was reading it. That is how great it is.

This volume covers the second and last day of the culture festival. In the previous volume 13, we saw Shirogane declare to Shinomiya that he has been accepted into Stanford. This revelation rocks Kaguya as she now has to decide whether she should finally confess her love, even if it means losing in this unspoken mind game they have maintained since the beginning of the manga. Meanwhile, Ishigami is unintentionally making inroads with his relationship with Tsubame, and we begin to see what seems to be a new feeling emerging from Iino by the end of the volume. All the while, Chika’s role as the master of chaos has subsided since there is a mysterious heart balloon thief on the loose!

Out of all of the volumes up until this point, 14 is one of the most serious and shojo manga-esque of them all. In addition, the full-page panels sprinkled in the volume adds even more emotional impact to the story. It is quite amazing how Aka is able to juggle various characters within this arc as each one had their own respective development. I really loved seeing the progressions each character made in their personal relationships, or what seems to be foreshadowing for future dynamics. However, the plot is back to its usual antics with slice of life chapters in the student council room. Except there seems to be something odd happening with Shinomiya which is obviously the beginning to the next arc!